14-05-2025
‘We will serve you food and make you feel dignified'
Ms Latha Govindasamy, co-founder of Krsna's Free Meals, at the soup kitchen in Little India where she and her family serve hot, wholesome meals daily to migrant workers. PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
'We will serve you food and make you feel dignified' Your Singapore Story: Inspired by their parents' values of sharing and kindness, this ex-educator and her family founded a soup kitchen so that migrant workers in need would not go hungry
When Ms Latha Govindasamy, 56, says that food is the way to someone's heart, she means it in the most heartwarming way.
Together with her sisters and their husbands, the former educator co-founded Krsna's Free Meals in 2018 to provide free breakfast, lunch and dinner to migrant workers. The soup kitchen in Little India has since served some 10 million meals.
Watch her video here.
It is no ordinary soup kitchen she is running, though. Ms Latha believes in whipping up authentic, wholesome and most importantly, delicious food like chapatis and tomato rice for the beneficiaries.
Her rationale? To bring some cheer into their daily lives – but in the most dignified way possible.
With a warm smile and steady hands, Ms Latha prepares one of hundreds of daily meals served at Krsna's Free Meals.
PHOTO: SPH MEDIA
'My two sisters, their husbands and I started Krsna's Free Meals because our parents inspired us to always share our meals with the next person to forge a good bond and make people feel appreciated. Food can be simple, it doesn't have to be expensive, but it should be wholesome.
We chose migrant workers as our beneficiaries because they seem to be the ones who need the most help. Some of our migrant friends in Little India said food was a big problem. It was pricey and not authentic Indian food. For those living in dormitories, breakfast and lunch were delivered to them as early as 5.45am. So when they ate, the food had already gone bad.
They don't have an alternative, and food wasn't bringing them cheer. We felt that we could contribute in some way, keep the food authentic and not compromise in taste.
We change our menu every day, so they've got something to look forward to. We want them to appreciate the food but also feel dignified. Since 2019, each worker contributes 50 cents. It makes them feel good that they are contributing to the community.
In the beginning, we dipped into our own savings to buy the ingredients and packaging materials. Sustaining the model of giving free food was our biggest challenge. In the past, my sisters and their husbands would buy the ingredients, cut and cook them, and we had to do everything ourselves. That can be very draining because our hours are irregular. After we cook, we serve and wash up.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, people started recognising our contributions, and volunteers stepped forward. We started having walk-in donations and people calling up and asking how they could help. So now, we put up all the ingredients we need for that week on Instagram every Monday.
We are getting old, and my sisters' children have indicated their interest in continuing the good work. We want to reach out to more people, not just migrant workers in Little India.
We want to go into the heartlands, have a central kitchen and make food accessible to all Singaporeans, maybe put up vending machines where senior citizens can use their Chas cards to get food.
Here, we don't ask questions. If you are hungry and you don't have money, no problem. We will serve you food and make you feel dignified.'
For generations, The Straits Times has told The Singapore Story. To celebrate our 180th anniversary, we're putting the spotlight on our communities – for you to tell us yours, from all around Singapore. Discover the stories from your neighbourhood as the series continues at Your Singapore Story.
